Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Guest Fic Rec: KiyaRaven Meets the Sun

When everything turns to dust and falls apart at the seams, the only way out, may be the only way in. The path you know might not be the easiest, but it might also be the only one you need. AH Dark Themes Ahead

It's sometimes weird how connections are made in this fandom. For example, I had being hearing about an author named Miztrezboo for months before encountering her fic awesomeness. I'd seen things written about her on forums, I'd seen some excellent banners for her stories, and I'd even chatted to her on Twitter before I got around to reading one of her stories – finally giving in to my curiosity about this charismatic and well-liked fellow-Aussie.

I read the first chapter of her latest fic, Where the Road Meets the Sun, and I was immediately hooked, and for me, that's the only reason I start a new story. There has to be something there. Some sort of visceral connection that links me to the characters, that makes me care about them, that makes me want to find out more about them and go on some sort of journey with them. Well, Boo grabbed me in the guts with a metal spiked gauntlet with the prologue to WTRMTS, and I couldn't stop reading. The prologue not only starts with Bella and Edward breaking up, but they leave each other completely shattered, and Bella suddenly can't comprehend living her life without him.

“I don’t think you ever tried at all.” His voice was a whisper on the ice cold December wind, whistling in with his parting words. The chill iced over my skin as the door finally closed; closing behind him, closing in on me.

That door shutting was so much more than a block between him and me. It was the dividing line between what we had and what we were, and I was left on the wrong side of it. I felt my body slide helplessly to the floor. The hardwood underneath me was as cold and unyielding as I felt.

How did it come to this? How did we - I let it get this far? Everything I had known as true had disappeared completely. There was nothing I could do, nothing that would right all these wrongs.

As I lay with my warm cheek pressed against the cold floor, a glimmer of silver shone in the dim light. I hadn’t realized I’d still been holding it when he came bursting in the front door. Looking at it now though, my hand reflexively tightening around the cool metal of the handle. Perhaps it was the answer I’d been looking for.

And thus the roller-coaster ride of this great story begins.

Boo weaves a tale in which Bella and Edward have always been in each other's lives, from the moment when two year old Bella is introduced to her next door neighbor's new baby the day he is brought home from the hospital.

As the story goes, as soon as my mother bent low enough for Isabella to peer into the gap of the blankets, my eyes opened and I smiled. Isabella smiled back at me and we were, according to the tale that had been repeated over the last seventeen years, inseparable ever since. As mom went to move away from the fence, Isabella started to squeal, I started to bawl, and the noise between both of us only ceased once Isabella's and my eyes met again. It would seem as if there was love, or friendship at least, at first sight between the older toddler and the innocent babe.

As the years pass, of course, other, less innocent feelings start to develop, at least on the part of young Edward.

Even at the age of eleven I knew that I loved her. I may not have known exactly how deep, or exactly what that love really meant. However, I knew enough to know that I didn’t want any other boy touching her, and that if any boy was to touch her, it was going to be me.

Boo's writing is compelling and natural, and she switches easily between Edward and Bella POV's, each chapter alternating to give us a different perspective on the unfolding drama. Her characterizations are rich and complex, and her descriptive style is truly a pleasure to read.

Edward is an open book. He's a geek who wears his heart on his sleeve and who isn't afraid to cry when the love of his life dumps him.

Bella is complicated. She obviously has issues related to her parents. The causes are hinted at, but so far not expanded on, and because of this she finds she's unable to feel worthy of the only man she's ever truly loved. She finds excuses to push Edward away, and although this frustrates the hell out of me as a reader, as a valid, true-to-life character portrayal, it's pretty spot on. I've known girls like this. You want to slap them and scream at them to stop being so damn self-deprecating and just accept the love that is offered freely to them, but do they listen? Oh, no. And that's the crux of this story.

The supporting players that Boo has created are also excellent. Rosalie is Bella's hard-ass, smart-talking best friend, but when Bella stomps all over Edward's heart, it's Rosalie that's left to pick up the pieces.

Edward's best friend is a perpetually stoned and achingly charismatic Jasper, who likes verbally torturing uptight Rosalie far too much for his feelings toward her to be purely platonic.

The villain of the piece is one of the most thoroughly unlikeable versions of James I have ever read, and in this fandom, that's saying something. His insidious, multi-layered personality is masterfully written.

This story and this author are severely under-appreciated and I would highly recommend you run out and jump head-first into this salty and sweet tale. It's dark in places, but it also has good doses of humor, especially in Edward's POV, and although Bella's self-loathing is untiring, it's written with such gut-wrenching reality, you can' help but pray she finds the courage to move past it.

So go. Read it. Love it. Leave Boo some love, and tell her Kiya sent you.

You say you chose a fic to read based on your initial attraction, a visceral need to find out what happens? This fic assaults you viscerally! It is amazing when a fan fic has the ability to move you emotionally in such a strong way. This story is so well written that the angst thus far caused me physical pain (mainly for her Edward). It is a rare talent that can write in a way that evokes true emotion from the reader. I only hope that there is some relief in the future for her loving and deserving Edward. I am so heartbroken for him!

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